Chapter 57: The Foundation
For the next several days, Drax took complete control of Ka’z’s newly formed squad. From dawn until nightfall he drilled them relentlessly, correcting every stance, every throw and every mistake with the stern efficiency expected of a veteran soldier.
Ka’z only checked on them briefly each day before disappearing once more into the prison chambers or his hidden training cave. No one complained.
The deeper Ka’z delved into arrays, the more stunned he became. They were not merely larger or stronger spells as he had initially assumed. Arrays were living magical formations built from countless interconnected runes that continued functioning long after the caster had stopped casting. Every rune represented a single word of power, yet when combined together according to strict grammatical laws, they became instructions rather than incantations.
Casting a spell was like speaking a sentence. Constructing an array was like writing an entire program that the world itself obeyed. Once completed, the formation remained embedded within its surroundings, drawing mana from its designated source until that source was exhausted, destroyed or the array itself was dismantled.
Only after studying them did Ka’z truly appreciate Rok’s genius. Boi possessed tremendous knowledge of the Language of Power, but Rok possessed the mind of an architect. Every array contained dozens, sometimes hundreds of individual runes layered upon one another with impossible precision.
One misplaced line could collapse the entire formation or produce a completely different effect. Compared to ordinary spellcasting, arrays were thousands of times more difficult. They demanded logic, planning and absolute accuracy.
For anyone else that would have taken decades to learn. For Ka’z, it took a glance.
Rok spent nearly an hour painstakingly carving a defensive formation across the prison floor, explaining the purpose of every sequence while Ka’z silently watched. The moment he finished, Ka’z stepped forward, erased the entire thing with a wave of earth mana, then recreated it from memory. His claws moved without hesitation, tracing each rune in perfect order, every angle cleaner, every connection smoother and every mana channel more efficient than the original.
Silence consumed the prison chamber. Rok simply stared at the completed array and his mouth hung slightly open.
The realization that someone could surpass years of painstaking research after witnessing it once completely crushed whatever pride remained inside him.
Ka’z quietly stood up, brushed the dust from his hands and walked out of the cell without another word, leaving the goblin sitting motionless before his own creation.
A few days later Ka’z sat before Tong’a, Tud’or and O’nil. All three watched him with serious expressions.
Tud’or finally spoke, folding his arms across his chest.
"Tell us why we shouldn’t execute those two goblins."
Ka’z didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he calmly looked at each elder before asking a question of his own.
"Are we planning to kill every race we conquer in the future?"
The room immediately fell silent.
Buzz!
The three elders unconsciously exchanged glances. None of them answered.
Ever since the disastrous raid, Ka’z had changed at a frightening pace. His strength had grown so rapidly that neither Tong’a nor Tud’or were entirely certain they could still defeat him. More importantly, his thinking had changed. Every proposal he brought before them was no longer focused on surviving tomorrow. Instead, he constantly spoke about years and even decades ahead.
Everything he said revolved around a future none of them had ever imagined.
Without anyone realizing it, the child had quietly become a visionary.
"What exactly are you saying, child?" Tong’a asked calmly.
Ka’z answered without hesitation.
"I’m saying those goblins have more value alive than dead. We’re going to build villages. We’re going to cultivate larger farms. We’re going to raise livestock. We’re going to dig roads. We’re going to build fortifications."
"Who’s going to do all that work?"
The entire room fell silent but Ka’z wasn’t joking. If they defeat the Ashmork Clan. we weren’t going to exterminate every last goblin, it would be a waste.
They came here intending to enslave them so he was simply returning the favor.
O’nil slowly rubbed his chin.
"So... You want us to keep goblin slaves."
"Yes. The power of slavery should not be underestimated. "
Ka’z didn’t hesitate for even a heartbeat and the old Chieftain quietly nodded.
For the first time in many years, he felt the winds of change blowing through Vaal’kor. Perhaps this truly was the generation meant to reshape their race.
Besides with Kong’gong guarding the deepest chambers, two exhausted prisoners posed no danger to anyone. If they could contribute labor while being carefully monitored, then perhaps keeping them alive truly benefited the colony.
Tud’or eventually changed the subject.
"I heard you intend to use those same arrays against the goblins."
Ka’z nodded.
"I do. But only around our borders, never inside the colony itself.
Tud’or slowly smiled. That had been the very concern he intended to raise. It was good to know Ka’z had already considered it.
Ever since his injuries forced him away from active command, Lan’ka had taken over military preparations while he himself could do little more than offer advice from his bed.
The realization was oddly amusing.
"You really don’t want me healing you?" Ka’z asked with a raised brow.
Tud’or immediately shook his head.
"I have Lady Zira tending to me every single day. If I recover too quickly I might lose those privileges."
His lips curved upward mischievously and the room immediately erupted with laughter.
Even Tong’a couldn’t suppress a chuckle.
Strangely enough despite an invading army marching toward them... This was the calmest everyone had felt since the disastrous raid. Nobody openly admitted it, yet everyone drew confidence from Ka’z.
Not long afterward, Ka’z stepped out of the sanctuary. The cool underground air greeted his face as he slowly exhaled.
One week had already passed, leaving them with only three remained before the Ashmork army arrived but he wasn’t anxious anymore. For the first time he genuinely believed he could change the outcome of the coming war.
Without another glance behind him, Ka’z left the colony and climbed the familiar hillside overlooking Vaal’kor. Hidden behind thick vegetation was the narrow entrance to the chamber he had spent the past week excavating in secret. He stepped inside, passing between thick pillars of compacted earth supporting the ceiling before entering the large circular room beyond.
Unlike before the chamber was no longer empty.
Every wall had become covered with neatly carved runes, diagrams and layered formations stretching from floor to ceiling. Elementary runes occupied one section. Grammar structures occupied another. Array formations branched into increasingly complex networks connected by arrows and notes.
Entire walls had been devoted to mana flow, activation sequences, anchor points and energy circulation. Even the Language of Power had begun taking shape as a true written language beneath his careful observations.
Ka’z slowly walked around the chamber, his fingers brushing across the carved symbols. A quiet feeling of satisfaction settled inside his chest.
This... This was the foundation.
As long as he continued understanding the laws governing magic itself, he would never be limited to the same constraints as normal people in this world.